Kavita Baliga is the Founder of the startup record label and artist management company, Desi Music Entertainment. The company aims to represent and promote Indian artists from all over the world through digital media and online distribution.

Desi Music Entertainment is a startup label that focuses on the promotion and distribution of music internationally for artists in India and the U.S. DME walks budding musicians through the basics of getting their music and brand out there and guides the artist through the extensive journey of music making: from inception to distribution and profit.

Jan
2013 - Present

Soprano, Composer & Music Director / Freelance

Sept
2012 - Present

Olli Goes to Bollywood / Singer on album & live tour

Singer on the Olli Goes to Bollywood studio album and live tour in Europe.

Nov
2011 -
Nov
2012

Soprano, Choir Conductor, Recording Artist, Programmer / A.R. Rahman

Supervise music projects at Panchathan Records Inn, Film writer: synopsis' and scripts, Performer, Conductor of the KMMC Chamber Choir, Programmer for A.R. Rahman.

Aug
2012 -
Aug
2012

Bollywood Dreams / Max Mueller Bhavan & The Goethe Institut

An extension of 'Classic Incantations', Kavita performed in the final concert celebrating A.R. Rahman's film scores at the Nikolaisaal theater in Potsdam, Germany.

Jan
2012 -
Jan
2012

CLASSIC INCANTATIONS / Max Mueller Bhavan & The Goethe Institute

Kavita Baliga joined A.R. Rahman, The German Film Orchestra Babelsberg, and Matt Dunkley in a 5-city concert tour across India showcasing A.R. Rahman's most beloved film scores. As a soloist, Kavita sang two pieces from the film PASSAGE and 'Lothlorien' from the London musical, LORD OF THE RINGS. Other soloists included Asad Khan, Navin Iyer, Arun Kamath, Mugdha Hasabnis, and Kevin Doucette.

Jul
2010 -
Nov
2011

Diploma Programme Leader / KM Music Conservatory

Diploma Programme Leader at A.R. Rahman's institute in Chennai, India, Official liason in the affiliation between KMMC and Middlesex University

Jul
2008 -
Jun
2011

Vocal Teacher, Choir Conductor / KM Music Conservatory

Vocal coach for Foundation and Diploma students, Piano Accompanist, Conductor of the KMMC Chamber Choir, Official Liaison between Middlesex University and KMMC to affiliate the two institutions, Administrator

Sept
2009 -
Sept
2009

PASSAGE PREMIERE / Swarovski Entertainment

Kavita joined Shekhar Kapur and A.R. Rahman for the premiere of their short film, PASSAGE at the I Granai Della Repubblica on the island of Giudecca in Venice, Italy. Commissioned by Swarovski Entertainment, the film featured Haley Bennett, Lily Cole and Julia Stiles and accompanied a museum exhibition in Austria. Kavita performed the two pieces from the film at the event with the Venetian string orchestra. The performance was conducted by Matt Dunkley.

What an incredible birthday!! This is the best birthday I’ve had in YEARS! After our performance in Dijon, Olli revealed my birthday to the audience who then sang the birthday song to me IN FRENCH! Then later, the whole crew surprised me with a party and cake. We danced to disco all night, signed CDs and posters, and had a jolly old time.

I couldn’t have asked for more.

I was born with music inside me. Music was one of my parts. Like my ribs, my kidneys, my liver, my heart. Like my blood. It was a force already within me when I arrived on the scene. It was a necessity for me-like food or water.

Beginning June 2013, Kavita will be going on a month-long tour with Olli Goes to Bollywood where she will be performing Bollywood style music in France! Soloists include Ollivier Leroy, Kavita Baliga, Asad Khan and The Violin Brothers.

OLLI & THE BOLLYWOOD ORCHESTRA returned to Chennai for a two-week long video shoot for the concert tour that is schedule to commence in June 2013. Kavita and members of Euphonic Yatra recorded at Sy9 studios for the CD.

The official launch of QYUKI, the social media platform founded by Shekhar Kapur and A.R. Rahman was broadcast live today across the world. The launch premiered three of the songs Kavita managed and wrote. The project features Western Classical and Folk tunes re-arranged and written for Indian audiences. The first three songs included Scarborough Fair in Hindi and Tamil, and Greensleeves written for the first time in Tamil.

Kavita recorded for the upcoming CD by Olli and the Bollywood Orchestra at Deepak Dev’s studio in Chennai. She also conducted her choir, Euphonic Yatra during the recording. The album will be releasing in 2013!

Klaus Peter Beyer, the director of the Film Orchestra Babelsberg, brought ‘Classic Incantations’ to Potsdam, Germany on August 25th, 2012. The KM Music Conservatory Chamber Choir, Kavita Baliga, Asad Khan, Navin Iyer, and conductor Matt Dunkley came to Potsdam to perform the scores from A.R. Rahman’s films with the Film Orchestra Babelsberg. Once again, the show was a grand success!

I cannot begin to comprehend the various twists and turns life has thrown at me, but I am overwhelmingly grateful for the opportunities I have been given, the people I have had the honor of working with and my loved ones. My family, friends, coworkers and Mr. ARR have enriched my life more than I can say. I feel blessed.

The North American Konkani Association honored Kavita with an award for being a pioneer, entrepreneur, and following her dreams in music. The award ceremony was held at the 2012 Konkani Convention in New Jersey.

Kavita recorded today for composer Stuart Wood at Hoxton Works today in London for his new musical The Mask of Joy. The session was conducted by Stuart and included Hassan Mirza, Ralph Bogard, and Chloe Nicolson.

What an adventure! I am so proud of my students for doing such a fabulous job during the Classic Incantations tour. Brilliant work by the Film Orchestra Babelsberg, Matt Dunkley, Asad Khan, Navin Iyer, and everyone who made this possible. A big hug to everyone! Bravo.

WOW. No words. Chennai’s Classic Incantations concert ROCKED. The audience was loud and enthusiastic. We all enjoyed the energy of the room. It’s so wonderful to have an audience that is so excited. What a great concert! Looking forward to Bangalore.

Classic Incantations in Kolkata still didn’t match the energy of Mumbai’s concert. The audience was quite silent throughout. However, I felt a wonderful connection with the music today. I sang my heart out. Hope everyone enjoyed it! Chennai, here we come!

Kavita Baliga, conductor of KM Music Conservatory’s Chamber Choir, had the opportunity to conduct ‘What a Wonderful World’ for the In Memoriam section of the Oscars that celebrates the lives and careers of people who have contributed to the film industry who have passed. The choir recorded at Yash Raj Studios in Bombay, India under Hollywood sound engineer, Alan Meyerson.

Kavita conducted Roshni Vincent’s gospel choir to perform for Bollywood celebrities and Oprah Winfrey for a television special on her new network OWN. Oprah traveled to Bombay and hobnobbed with celebs at a gala event hosted by socialite Parmeshwar Godrej. Attendees included stars like Aishwarya Rai, Priyanka Chopra, and Shabhana Azmi.

TWEET: Beginning rehearsals for Classic Incantations Tour with the KMMC Chamber Choir, scheduled to commence January 2012. So THRILLED!

Kavita made a guest appearance at Blend, in the Taj Clubhouse for the launch of A.R Rahman’s new CD SUPERHEAVY. The event was hosted by The Brew magazine. (Above: Sameer Bharat Ram, editor of The Brew and Kavita Baliga).

Kelcey Gavar and Kavita Baliga directed KM Music Conservatory’s annual scenes concert at Museum Theater, Chennai. The concert featured scenes from popular operas and musicals performed by KMMC’s students, alumni, and faculty.

In early 2009, Kavita conducted the KM Music Conservatory Chamber Choir in a concert hosted by the American Consulate and Lady Andal Theater to mark the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s pilgrimage to India, and to recognize his non-violent activism toward human rights. The concert featured Kavita, the KMMC Chamber Choir and faculty, and included Martin Luther King III and Indian film actor Kamal Haasan who both spoke at the event.

What a fast-paced and exciting 3 months it has been since the #Kickstarter campaign!
1. Bought video and audio editing hardware and software for DME
2. Pre-production is almost finished for our first song which is set to release at the end of August!
3. We put on a lovely kids sing-a-long at #TheLittleFestival this year for #TheLittleTheatre
3. I am in France right now on another leg of the #OlliGoesToBollywood tour and we just had the best concert till date at the #QuimperCornouaille #Festival in #Bretagne
And shooting for #DME's first music video starts immediately when I return to India. Lots and lots of great things! #Grateful.

Had a wonderful time performing at the Hospital Clown Benefit hosted by The Little Theatre to celebrate a new venture that will bring joy and laughter to sick children at the government children's hospital in Chennai. Bravo Aysha Rau for bringing this to us!

ONWARDS AND UPWARDS! 8 hrs left! Let's see how far we can go! http://kck.st/1zybtET
Kickstarter's commission on each project is 5% plus there is the possibility of credit/debit cards not working, etc. If we can make up that amount in the next 7 hours, I'll have a solid $30k in my hand to start producing artists. http://kck.st/1zybtET
So thrilled. Let's do this!

WOW!! I am SO thrilled that my campaign has reached over 90%!! - and with it - we've received a ton of emails by excited artists wanting to release their music through DME. It just goes to show how NEEDED a service like this is! We are so incredibly thankful to all the support that has poured into this campaign.
But we're not there yet!
But we are SO CLOSE. To everyone who has supported us already, THANK YOU.
And if you haven't, please think about the lives you would be enriching through this company. $20 goes a LONG way in India. This is so important to us and we're SO CLOSE! Pledge now! http://kck.st/1zybtET

Thank you BREW for the women's award! I'm honoured to be included in a group of women who are achieving so much!
However, It's interesting how in an article supposedly talking about women's achievement, the only thing The Times of India talks about is what the women were wearing. Tsk tsk TOI.

Had an amazing day speaking to ARR about the company and playing with his video equipment - some of the best equipment I've ever seen face to face in my life. The Sony a7s is such an incredible camera it makes my 5D feel like an easy bake oven. #GeekAlert #ARRahman DME

A heartfelt thank you to the TED FELLOWS program for donating a generous amount to my campaign. I am honored to be among such an incredibly talented and innovative group of people - people who think outside the box; people who aren't afraid to reach higher and dream big.
Through the TED program I have met people I never thought I'd ever meet and I've made lasting friendships that I cherish. I am grateful to have their support.
Thank you TED.
With love,
Kavita
TED TED Fellows Kickstarter #crowdfunding #GetIncubated DME

3.6 LAKHS!! I cannot express how grateful I am for the support. Thank you so much. Please spread the word and LET'S MAKE THIS HAPPEN!!
CLICK ON THIS LINK: http://kck.st/1L14RaP
Choose which reward you'd like, and support this movement!

Final touches being done on my Kickstarter campaign video! After many many many attempts, I am finally happy with my campaign content. Can't wait to share it with all of you! Your support will make a lot of people's dreams come true. Stay tuned!! DME #GetIncubated #DMEintl #KavitaBaliga

I really shouldn't be saying 'awww' to this trailer but it's so cute to see one of our cast members of The Little Theatre making strides as an actor in the Tamil film industry! All the best to you Abishek Joseph George! Can't wait to see it!

Was thrilled to find a few old recordings of myself singing from #UCIrvine! This one is #Debussy's "La Romance d'Ariel" which I sang in 2005. I can't believe 10 years have passed since then! I sound so young. Aww. Is it okay to say aww to my former self? :)

Conversation with my mom:
Me: So what other songs should I do in Konkani? Any ideas?
Amma: Why don't you do Christmas songs? Then you don't have to worry about buying the rights
Me: Like what?
Amma: Don't say something like "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" or something like that. I don't know how to say Reindeer in Konkani.
Me: Like Rudolphaa ek thambde nankaache chittal...??
Uncontrollable laughter.

A big, happy THANK YOU to the award winning Ashanti OMkar for featuring me (and #Konkani for the first time!) on her fabulous #radio show on the BBC Asian Network! You can listen to it here (my part starts around 37 min in): http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04t0ydc

Thrilled to be working with The Little Theatre again this year for their annual #Christmas #pantomime! TLT does a tremendous amount of work in the Chennai community helping the underprivileged through music, dance and theatre. If you reside in Chennai, this is a show you shouldn't miss :)

(I forgot to mention that my amma @ashabaliga and @veenajoshikamath wrote the lyrics. Thank youuuuu!!!)
This is to all the amchigele munchkins I know! Cover of "Let it Go" in Konkani! (No copyright infringement intended!) Feeling sad that I've been away for so long and haven't seen you guys grow up! :(

Got a complimentary pass to stream TEDGlobal's 2014 conference in Brazil! I became a TED Fellows in 2009 and I have to say that the program not only opened my eyes to all the incredible people around the globe who are doing wonderful things to make this world a better place, but also put into perspective that literally anything. is. possible. Sitting in that auditorium watching Mallika Sarabhai's speech about the arts, I felt like she had put into words something I've felt my entire life but had never been able to articulate.
Inspire me again TED! I can't wait to watch.

So incredibly impressed with Monica Dogra's new music video #riseupandrun. Music like THIS is what we should be promoting. Music that means something. Beautiful. Raw. Powerful. 3 CHEERS to Desi-Americans rockin' it!
"All I knew was that I wanted to seize this opportunity to portray women as wild and powerful and sensual and unafraid of who we are; connected to mother earth. Women as bearers of life and medicine. Nurturing, vulnerable, delicate, strong. I felt the stifled voices of women all around the world roaring free. I felt rage. I felt all the sensuality that has been locked away out of sight. I felt the collective sense of captivity. All this came out in movement, and I realized which story I really wanted to tell: the story of a world in which women live freely. I imagined a world in which women could walk alone at any hour of the night wearing whatever they wanted to wear and feel completely safe. I imagined a world in which women's voices were given the space to ring loud and clear in any conversation. I imagined a world in which women were completely understood and respected. I imagined a world in which women could let their sensuality shine without fear of judgment or rape. And I danced. "
- Nilaya Sabnis, Choreographer
"I don't know if I've ever been convinced that I'm good enough. But, I know that as a child, facing the tidal of disapproval and a completely unpaved road of penniless toil and trouble, that I would die trying. And, so I will."
-Monica Dogra
Bravo Monica. We're hooked.
Watch this unbelievable video here:
RedBull.com Music Shaa'ir / Monica Sharma Dogra

My life took a strange and painful detour when I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma at the age of 22. Cancer treatment was long and bitter. During the couple of moments where things got really scary, I told myself then that if I got through it, I would live a life filled with passion, purpose and love. That I would set goals and give my all. That I would make the most of it. That I would seek happiness by giving happiness. That I would be honest and genuine. Because life could end… tomorrow.
Today's visit to the doctor marks 10 years of being cancer-free and I am happy to say that I have lived up to my promise.
Here's to 10 more,
[virtual hugs to everyone in my life]
K